About Me

Amanda:I've always had a love of cooking. As a teenager, when most of my friends were watching sitcoms, I was watching Food Network. I was always experimenting on my family with my "creations." Recently I have found a new passion in food. I now follow the principles of Weston A. Price Foundation, using Real Food when I cook. I've eliminated processed foods from my life. I don't use too many measurements when I cook, just a lot of love.

I have opened up this blog to my family and some friends, so there will be a lot of recipes to enjoy. As always, please leave comments, and suggestions. If you try one of our recipes, please let us know what you thought of it! To find out more about me, visit my personal blog here.

Contributing Cooks:

Julie:One of my wonderful sister-in-laws. Shes a great mom of two. She and I share a passion for food. One of her favorite weekend spots is to go hang out at the gourmet supermarket to take in the sights! You can visit her personal blog here.

Karen:My Momma. Yes, I'm almost 30 and call her Momma. She encouraged my love for food by helping me cook many dinners while I was growing up. I cooked spaghetti so many times, that to this day, we are both "tired" of it. But back then she never complained.

Jules:I met Jules in the blogsphere and fell in love with her blog, Far from the Sticks. Here is a little more about her in her own words: I grew up in the wilds of New Hampshire. After college I went in search of warmth and sun and ended up in San Diego. In Feb. '09 I moved to Ankara, Turkey with my fiance. Officially I am now an ex-pat. I am currently butchering Turkish in my attempt to learn it, but have had more success with the food. I pounce at any chance to try a new dish, and have few boundaries when it comes to what I won't eat. Through my exeriences I am learning the intricacies of a cuisine that varies from Mediterranean to Anatolian. Growing up I never imagined this particular adventure but nonetheless am excited for what is to come.

Recipes I want to try

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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Vegetable Tortilla Soup

One of my favorite foods of all time is an awesome bowl of Chicken Tortilla Soup. I love the aroma of the spices, the gooey cheese, the crunch of the tortilla chips. I love being decadent and adding chopped avocado and a dollop of sour cream. Makes my mouth water any day of the week. This, is not that. But it is a close healthy version of my favorite soup. It's one of my versions of Vegetable Tortilla Soup. I don't make my version vegetarian, since I use chicken broth, but if you were to substitute vegetable broth, it would be a great vegetarian dish. Another great thing about this dish is that it is a chop & drop. Get the soup pot going and add to it as you chop your ingredients.

Start with a good size soup pot. Put on medium/high heat and spray with cooking spray. Dice onion and garlic. Dump in pot. Chop your zucchini, carrot and bell pepper. Add each ingredient to pot as you finish chopping it, stirring the pot frequently to prevent vegetables from burning. Add in the tomato paste and stir to incorporate. Add corn. Sprinkle in the cumin, oregano and salt to taste. Open the tomatoes and beans and add them to the soup.

Next, from a can of Chipotle in Adobe sauce, pull out one or 1/2 of one chipotle pepper. Mince and add to the pot. These peppers are very spicy, so start out small and add more heat as you like. I place the unused portion of peppers and sauce in a ziplock bag and freeze. When I need to use it later, it is easy to break off however much you need.

Last, add the chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve with toppings. Makes about 6 bowls of soup.